| Abstract |
Over the specified period of award, the subject Training Project Grant provided continuing support to the baccalaureate Industrial Hygiene curriculum at Western Kentucky University (WKU). This program is offered as an option of the Environmental Science degree program and earns its graduates the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with Industrial Hygiene option. The curriculum is a major program requiring four years to complete with no additional major or minor and consists of 142-143 semester hours of coursework. The curriculum consists of four components; three of which are common to all options of the Environmental Science major. All students at WKU are required to complete a general education program with coursework in Organization and Communication of Ideas, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Studies, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Physical Development. The second component consists of foundation courses in the natural sciences and mathematics, a portion of which are used to satisfy general education requirements. The third is a collection of core courses in the principal problem areas of the environmental field (i.e. air pollution, water pollution, hazardous and solid waste). Also included in the core are courses in Industrial Environmental Management, Environmental Sampling and Measurement, and a Senior Seminar. The final element is the set of option courses which are unique to the Industrial Hygiene Option. This group includes 13 semester hours of courses dedicated to the major tenets of industrial hygiene (recognition, evaluation, and control), including laboratories, as well as courses in Industrial Hygiene Risk Assessment and Toxicology. Additional science and mathematics and a technical writing course are also required in the option. The support received from NIOSH during this project period allowed on-going implementation of the IH option. The funds provided were utilized to maintain several important functions including recruiting students, enhancing the instructional program, and supporting faculty committed to the program. Additionally, the Industrial Hygiene curriculum at WKU achieved several significant accomplishments over this period such as: Accreditation by the Related Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (RAC-ABET), Establishment of the Environmental, Health, and Safety Resource Laboratory (EHSRL), Chartering of the Western Kentucky University Industrial Hygiene Student Association (WKUIHSA), and Implementation of a series of professional development experiences for students in a new course entitled "Educational Experiences in Industrial Hygiene. These and other important achievements are discussed in more detail in the body of the report.
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